Blog Phase III: Comprehensive Reflection

ETC 447 Blog Phase III: Comprehensive Reflection

Part I

            As I reflect on my philosophy of learning and taking everything I have learned from this course into consideration, my philosophy for the most part has remained the same. I do however, intend on incorporating the use of technology into my philosophy after being able to explore in depth the many ways technology can be integrated successful into the classroom. Entering the teaching profession now, I know that technology will be continuously developing and the students I will teach will be more and more technologically savvy. Being willing and able to stay up to date with the developing technologies and putting forth the effort to educate myself on those programs will be added to my philosophy to show myself as continuously willing to educate myself.

            My understanding of “technology integration” has drastically changed after taking this course. At the beginning, I simply thought integrating technology was having students use technology in the classroom but I now understand that integrating technology is more in depth. Students need to be able to not only use technology but produce artifacts of their learning through technology. I plan on integrating a Google Classroom in my future classroom which will allow students to be interactive with their learning as well as provide them the opportunity to learn in a blended classroom. Through this blended classroom setting I can implement differentiated learning to ensure the individual needs of each of my students are met.

Part II

Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Rationale: I approached this standard by knowing and understanding the importance of student’s creativity and learning. When students can be creative, they can learn, and if I am able to provide them with a creative opportunity for learning the product will be meaningful and authentic.

            In my lessons, I facilitated and inspired student learning and creativity by allowing students to create their artifacts with no limitation on the design or layout. In my Statehood Timeline Lesson, students had the opportunity to design their timelines in any way they wanted. A photo was required, but when implemented, my students (classmates) created their artifact, they each created something different and unique that showed their personality and how they learned. By engaging my students with a very fun and catchy anticipatory set for my Statehood Timeline Lesson, students became engaged and interested in the creativity of the video, which then generated their thinking as to what they would be learning that day. This also makes real-world connections because having the knowledge about the 50 states in our country is important knowledge to know as a citizen of the United States of America. After each lesson, class discussion is facilitated and students can then reflect on the content of what they learned along with participating in peer academic conversations. Throughout each lesson I gave in this class and will give in the future, I will encourage peer collaboration with virtual environments to allow students with different individual needs to learn on a level that will benefit them. As a teacher, I must understand and realize that students might not always learn from me as their teacher but may learn more effectively from a peer or a virtual learning environment.

Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Rationale: I approached this lesson by implementing technology based programs that students used to create an artifact of learning along with gaining the experience of using digital-age tools that can be used in the future of their education.  

            In both of my provided lesson plans, I have integrated multiple digital tools that students will use to demonstrate their learning of the standards and objectives. I successfully integrated the use of Smart Draw and Google Classroom, the Smart Draw program was used in the lesson as an assessment tool and students were assessed on their ability to create a digital timeline as well as incorporate and provide information that linked to the standard and objective of that lesson. Within the Smart Draw program students were also encouraged to use their creativity when creating their digital artifact and incorporate images into their timelines. Utilizing the Google Classroom in my Statistics and Probability Lesson, students were submerged into a technology-enriched learning environment where they could become active participants in their own learning. The Google Classroom provided areas for students to located materials for the lesson, samples of work that needed to be completed, and areas where students could collaborate and communicate with each other.

 In both of my lessons, I differentiated my teaching and learning strategies to reach the many diverse learners, I implemented peer collaboration, modified assignments, and visual and audio instruction. Throughout each lesson both formative and summative assessment were used; during anticipatory sets and guided practice I formatively assessed students to ensure the understanding of the provided content. If at this time students seemed to be struggling with the content I would then pull them for small group during the independent practice portion of the lesson. Each lesson also had a summative assessment where their artifact of learning was formally assessed. This allowed me as a teacher to see if the standards and objectives that were covered needed to be retaught or if students had mastered the objectives of the lesson.

Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning 

Rationale: I approached this standard by knowing and understanding the importance of modeling how students can use the technology provided for them in the classroom to promote their learning.

            As a teacher, one of the most important aspects your students need to know about you is your continual ability and desire to educate yourself. Being able to learn and model new technologies that are being used in the classroom is important and will also demonstrate to students that learning never ends. If a teacher models that they are always willing to learn something new, then students will also take on that perspective. As a class learning new programs can be beneficial and inviting parents to also learn these tools make a student-teacher-parent relationship successful during the year. In my Statistics and Probability Lesson students created a survey via Google Forms which used information to support research and learning. Students learned how to create these surveys through a digital tool and master the standards and objectives. The use of this program allows students to evaluate their learning as well as poll individuals to obtain data.

           

Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Rationale: I approached this standard by modeling digital citizenship and responsibility and will always implement in my future classroom a social contract that will outline the guidelines and expectations of students regarding appropriate behavior with technology.

            In the beginning of every school year students will partake in a social contract that will outline the expectations of how students safely use the technology in the classroom. As a teacher, I will always display the same safe, legal, and ethical use of technology and hold students to the same standards. My students will always be provided with differentiated learning strategies and lesson to ensure that the need of each individual child has been met. In my provided lessons, I incorporated visual, audio, and kinesthetic learning opportunities for each student to reach every type of learner. Students were also encouraged to use peer conversation and collaboration to help each other with how to use the technology used in the lesson.  By creating the Google Classroom for my Statistics and Probability Lesson, students could practice their responsible social interactions when using the Google Classroom. With the Google Classroom layout and design, which is like social media, students can use appropriate social interaction skills that they will use throughout their education and everyday life. Students were also able to develop a cultural understanding through the Statehood Timeline Lesson by researching information of different states in the country. Students also were engaged and collaborated with their peers during this time and were encouraged to learn and use the seal or flag of each state for their timeline.